This year each CWM graduate also won a special award: Lizette Tolken for Viticulture, Raymond Noppé for Viniculture, and Dave March for Sparkling Wine, while the Brandy Award went to Derek Ramsden.
The graduates represent a broad spectrum of occupational interests: Tolken is an attorney, Noppé a logistics controller for a wine company, Ramsden, a former businessman turned wine consultant and March, a former athlete and now retired teacher and education manager, is now a freelance wine writer.
Tolken's topic was Cabernet Franc in South Africa and across the globe; Noppé dealt with the Chinese wine market and its potential as a global wine export destination; March focused on wine investment in South Africa, and Ramsden placed South African brandy in an international context.
Dr Paul Clüver of Paul Cluver Wines and De Rust Estate in Elgin was designated Wine Personality Of The Year - for his visionary contribution to the wine industry, encompassing biodiversity, conservation and environmental tourism, as well as black-empowerment initiatives over many years.
"Over the last 28 years some 197 candidates have enrolled, of whom 82 (42 men and 40 women) have qualified and 22 are at present studying to become CWMs," said chairman Andy Roediger CWM.
The Institute's current membership stands at 75 (including three honourary members).
All dissertations are available for perusal on the Cape Wine Academy website and at the SAWIS library.
